I enjoyed this relatively brief glimpse into this critical battle of the 14th century. The second of the three great battles of the Hundred Years War, it is probably the least well known. It also breaks the pattern of Crecy, Agincourt and a host of other battles in that it is not decided chiefly by the storm of arrows, but by the clash of men in armor on foot and a timely cavalry charge.

David Green does his best to shed some light on Prince Edward's great victory. He provides some context, with chapters on the chevauchee's of 1355-56, and the peace that followed the battle and capture of King Jean. Green does the best he can to provide details of the battle, and he does more than previous snapshots of Poitiers. I learned, for example that the the vanguard was more than the cavalry led by Clermont and Audrehem, but also included about 2000 German foot and crossbowmen under Brienne. Unfortunately Green is left with sketchy details of the action, chiefly because the battle is under-reporterd by contemporaries. Alas, what is needed is a 14th century version of CNN.

While the details of Poitiers are thin, Green attempts to make up for it with goodies. There is a chapter on wargaming the battle-which made my eyes light up. There are details of the Prince's retinue, biographical information, useful illustrations, and wonderful, wonderful topographical maps. All this gives the book an extra half star for effort.

This book is set to be republished after the first of the year at a very reasonable price. Should be on everyone's HYW bookshelf. ( )